THE PACIFIC OCEAN

Located between the continents of North America, South America,
Asia, Antarctica and Australia, the Pacific Ocean is the largest of the
world's four oceans. It covers approximately one-third of the surface
of the earth, more surface area than all the continents combined. It is
commonly divided at the Equator into the North Pacific and the South Pacific.
The southern portion is dotted with thousands of small volcanic islands
and coral atolls (i.e. Fuji, Tahiti). The western rim is lined with large
lines of volcanic islands (i.e. Japan, the Philippines). To the north
lies the Aleutian Islands- another line of volcanoes- and the Bering Sea.
The eastern coast is marked by the Americas.

The tallest mountain in the world is found in the Pacific
Ocean: Mauna Kea of the Hawaiian Islands. From the base of the volcano
on the ocean floor it is 33,476 feet. That is 4,441 feet higher than Mount
Everest. The deepest trench in the world is also housed in the waters
of the Pacific. At 36,198 feet deep, the Mariana Trench would submerge
Mount Everest with 1.4 miles of water above to spare.

The volcanic regions on the West, North and East rims collectively
are known as the Ring of Fire. These areas of volcanic activity are caused
by subduction of tectonic plates. In addition to the threat of volcanic
eruption, earthquakes are a common occurrence along the Ring of Fire.
Many of the earthquakes are among the strongest in the world.

With the threat of earthquakes comes the threat of tsunamis
(also incorrectly called tidal waves). These giant waves can travel at
speeds of up to 500 miles per hour, appearing as little more than a small
wave in the deep sea. Often these waves go undetected by ships they pass
beneath.

In the inner regions of the ocean, volcanic islands can
also be found. These are either formed over magmatic hot spots or along
oceanic rift zones. The Hawaiian chain is over a hot spot. Only the large
island of Hawaii is volcanically active. The rest of the islands have
moved past the hot spot and drifted off in a north by northwest direction.
Remnants of former Hawaiian Islands can be seen as far away as the Aleutian
Islands. Much eroded and millions of years old, they are known as the
Emperor Seamounts. The oldest of the seamounts are around 70 million years
old.